


Just Two Dorks

by rainmonitors



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: College AU, F/F, Human AU, I'll add more characters later, Librarian AU, Prompt Fic, aka. just two nerds nerding out, pearlidot - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-08-04
Packaged: 2018-12-01 23:44:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11497287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainmonitors/pseuds/rainmonitors
Summary: They're both complete, utter dorks. They both have no idea what they're doing. But someone has to make the first move eventually.





	1. Observe, Encounter, Flirt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey i lied, apparently im uploading wip fics here now bc hell yea @ ao3  
> so this is Just Two Dorks, a Pearlidot fic i started earlier this year, and now that Gasoline & Matches is over, i'm dedicating my writing time to it!  
> enjoy, nerds <33

Observe, Encounter, Flirt

“Terrible. It’s such a funny word. Tear-ee-bull. I’m getting off topic.”

“Ugh, everything is terrible! This sickness, the lack of air conditioning, Lazuli… Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration. Today, she did put an effort into leaving Panadol and a glass of water beside my bed. The only thing is, I didn’t have a headache this morning. So that was completely useless, but I suppose the gesture still stands.”

“I just wished she put more effort into—I don’t know, everything! Like keeping at least her part of the apartment clean, or feeding herself better, or even just socialising with me, her amazing roommate! I swear I’ve only seen her eat pre-made frozen lasagna for the past five nights, and she has a better budget than me!”

“Though I must admit, she is much more tolerable than this stupid sickness. My nose has been constantly running like a tap, and I can barely breathe through the cobweb of phlegm in my throat! And the odd days where I have had a headache, I haven’t had the energy to do anything but lie in bed!”

Peridot rubbed her free hand under her nose, her mouth curling in disgust at the trail of mucus left on her skin. Shivering, she held tighter onto the ancient tape recorder with her other hand.

“This sucks. And as if things couldn’t get any worse, after a few days of heavy rain and a cold breeze, the weather decides that it wants to stop giving a damn about seasons and gives us the most humid day of all time. I’m sweating bullets!”

“You done complaining about literally everything?” Lapis called out, her tone deep and mocking.

“Lazuli!” Peridot shouted back, the lack of any comeback leaving her sentence short. She grabbed her towel strewn over her bed and threw it over her shoulder, her hand grazing her still damp hair. With the weather they were experiencing, her wet hair keeping her neck cool was very much welcomed.

She clicked off her tape recorder, settling it on her bedside table before storming out of her room and into their shared bathroom. After she ran her brush through her bird’s nest of hair, she stomped to the living room-kitchen combo. Lapis was dropping flakes of fish food into the aquarium upon it’s own cabinet, watching the fish surface to gobble the garbage food. 

After a few seconds of observing the marine life, she asked, “Ready?”

An unintentional huff escaped from Peridot. “Of course not!”

Lapis merely raised an eyebrow and twitched her mouth into a tiny sly smile.

Months ago, Peridot and Lapis were nothing more than brief acquaintances. They had gone to the same high school, and shared two classes in their senior year, but never interacted. The only real link the two had between them was Jasper. One disastrous break up later, and they shared an inner city suburb apartment together. Sometimes Peridot wondered whether the break up made Lapis so… unyielding, but it wasn’t any of her business, so she never asked.

Peridot grabbed a small backpack and stuffed some essentials in it; her travel pass, wallet, butter-menthols, tissues, and the sort. After double checking she had everything she needed, she shrugged the bag onto her shoulders and ran back into the main room.

“Alright, I’m ready to go! But I’m starting to have doubts about this.” She eyed Lapis warily. “Do you think I’m too sick to go out?”

Lapis shrugged, barely passing a glance over Peridot. “Dunno, are you?”

“God, you’re useless,” Peridot snapped without a hint of venom.

“Go look in the mirror.”

“I already did!”

Lapis shrugged again. “Do you want to go or not? I need to go to work.”

“… Yes.”

Being sick had it’s pros and cons. To Peridot, there were many, many, _many_ more cons than pros. One of them being stark boredom. You could only watch your favourite show or browse Youtube so many times before boredom ensued. And when that happened, it called for a trip to the nearest library. But of course, going outside whilst your face was having a snot-storm wasn’t very appealing.

At least Lapis was decent enough to drive her to the library on the way to work, though she’d have to catch the bus back home. A bus full of wandering eyes. Full of _people_.

Peridot wasn’t exactly anti-social, but between her bursts of motor-mouthing and socialisation, she needed to hide away in the dark, under a duvet with her tablet shining in her face. Away from people. _Especially_ strangers.

So she wasn’t particularly fond of people she didn’t know. Unfortunately, she cared more about snagging a good book to stick her nose into than curious stares at her sick state.

Well, if she was being honest, it was more than just books. But with her sickness, she wasn’t betting her hopes on the other bonus at the library.

She was starting to regret not going to the college library when she last attended class, which was a week ago. It would’ve saved her from going outside.

Lapis twirled her key chain around her finger and sauntered to the door. Peridot watched her stick a strip of gum into her mouth before following after her.

“You know what I’ve always wondered Lazuli?” Peridot mulled, waiting for Lapis’ curiosity to peak, only for her to remain silent. “How can you work at a pet shop and not feel compelled to bring a new animal home every day?”

“Simple; can’t keep pets at the apartment.”

“You have fish.”

“Do you seriously think fish count?”

Peridot threw her hands up in the air as Lapis locked the unit door behind her, trudging down the steps to the car park on ground level. “Well, why don’t you bring cooler aquarium pets home?”

“Don’t want to.”

“ _Surely_ any pet is better than _fish_!”

Lapis raised an eyebrow at Peridot. “Why don’t _you_ get a pet then?”

Suddenly aware of the oozing trail coming from her nose, Peridot flustered and pinched her nose. When she spoke, she somehow sounded more nasally than she normally did. “Shut up Lazuli.”

Despite the weak insult, Lapis just snorted at her annoying voice. “You sound terrible.”

“ _Thanks_ , I wasn’t aware.”

“Glad to let you know.”

Peridot merely scowled at her roommate’s evasion of sarcasm.

Lapis’ car was a crummy old thing, as most first cars turn out to be. It’s navy paint was scratched, glass dirty and stained, and a unique dent was near the left taillight. Even better - or more shocking - was it was so old it still had wind-up windows. When the two of them first decided to share an apartment and Lapis brought her car in, Peridot didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. But retaining her pride, she bent over cackling her quirky laugh.

Now, she sneered at the stained passenger seat as she stared through the only side door’s mirror (it was a hatchback). She watched Lapis slink into her seat and waited for her to manually unlock her door. _That_ was how old the car was. Peridot was surprised it didn’t collapse on the road.

Despite the driving wreck of a car, it had its charm.

“Start up the Li’l Lappy!” Peridot shouted, pointing off into the distance humorously.

“I swear if you call her that one more time, I’ll slug you in the arm.”

Peridot grinned cheesily and crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s her chosen name.”

“The car’s mine; if she get’s a name, it’s up to me.”

“Then what’s her name?”

“Doesn’t have one. She— _it’s_ a car.”

“They name boats and ships.”

Lapis seemed to grow bored of the bickering quickly, and grunted noncommittally. Peridot frowned, but knew when her time for petty squabbles had its end. Lapis was about as fun as a bouncy ball; novelty wears off after some time.

Instead, Peridot brought her phone out of her shorts’ pocket and plugged her earphones in. Her and Lapis had very different music tastes, and Peridot preferred to block out the alternative rock in favour for her widely disliked electronic music.

She also wished the car had air conditioning, but it was as deadbeat as the apartment’s. So she tugged at her light shirt and hoped the humidity would soften inside the library. And _goddamn_ if they didn’t have air conditioning she didn’t know what she’d do.

After a roughly fifteen minute drive, ten minutes of it spent waiting in front of traffic lights, Lapis’ car squeaked to a stop in the temporary parking outside the library. Before Peridot had the chance to exit the car, Lapis spoke up.

“Remember your bus is 201.”

Peridot blinked at the inkling of care displayed by Lapis, then the door slammed shut and the oddly charismatic car merged into the traffic. Sniffling and wiping her nose with a tissue in her bag (god, this was a bad idea) she walked through the self-opening library doors and was knocked back with a powerful wave of cool air.

If she wasn’t sick, she probably would’ve stayed there all day in favour for an air conditioner that worked.

The library wasn’t very cluttered, but Peridot supposed that most people were working or studying in the middle of the day. Well, she liked it better when there were smaller crowds. The library was still rather unfamiliar territory for her, as she chose to use the college’s library when she remembered, but she had visited enough times to know where her favourite genre of novels were.

As much as she hated to admit it, she loved coming of ages novels. They were awkward and rather cliche, but she supposed she liked to compare her high school years to those in stories, like the protagonist finally opening to their crush. Or on the very rare occasion, a novel with queer characters in it for once.

Peridot threw a look to the counter as she slinked to the bookshelves, her eyes dragging on the librarian for perhaps a few moments too long. The one bonus of this library compared to her college’s.

She was a delicate looking woman, looking like the human personification of a stick insect. If the wind blew too hard, Peridot feared the woman would fall over. Her peachy hair was short and looked soft, tufts poking out in certain areas. Skin as white as beach sand, and eyes as blue as the accompanying ocean, Peridot really couldn’t help being enamoured.

It seemed she had a thing for blue, if her short-lasting infatuation with Lapis when they first moved in with each other said anything. But one date later, and it was obvious they were better off as friends. A distant woman with a vocabulary consisting of two syllable words and a snarky, overbearing nerd perhaps weren’t the best pair.

As Peridot ducked behind the bookshelf named ‘crime/mystery’, she peered through the gaps left by absent books. If she stood at the right angle and bent down ever-so-slightly, she could see a partial amount of the librarian tapping away at the keyboard of the desktop in front of her.

It occurred to her that perhaps staring at someone conceitedly behind a bookshelf was ‘spying’, and that it would be wiser to not do so. Peridot’s face heated up at her own actions and she cleared her throat, as if readying herself for an argument with herself.

She vaulted to the sci-fi section. At that moment, she decided she didn’t want a book to compare her life to, so a dystopian society with teenagers running for their lives was a cliche she wanted to indulge into instead. After coming of age novels, sci-fi and futuristic novels were her second favourite.

After finding no novels she was looking for, she picked out a vaguely interesting one and left the section. Leaning against the bookshelf with no more stealth than a boy sending suggestive texts, she eyed the front counter whilst sticking her nose into her book.

Pearl was her name.

On the occasion that Peridot _did_ come to this library, they briefly chatted between requests to rent or hold books. It’d usually be short sentences to fill the silence, like “Nice day out?” or “So you’re into coming of age stories?” Unfortunately, not all of the time was Pearl working, and Peridot was sometimes trapped with another librarian, generally in their late forties or older and looking like they swallowed a lemon.

Honestly, the library could’ve benefited from self-serve stations, but Peridot was glad that they lacked them on days when Pearl was working.

“… If Lapis heard a word about this I’d never hear the end of it,” Peridot grumbled under her breath to nobody in particular. When Pearl finally turned around from whatever she was doing, Peridot quickly averted her eyes from her back to her book. Though she was pretty certain she’d have to have killer eyesight to notice she was being watched, Peridot still didn’t risk it.

What was she _doing_? Peridot fought the urge to shake her head at herself. She probably looked like half-decent roadkill with her sickness, and knowing her body, the moment she’d say something witty she would probably spontaneously start coughing. She just needed to get home as soon as possible and wallow in her sickness instead of ogling at someone she found aesthetically pleasing to look at.

With a newfound determination, Peridot kicked off the shelf and tucked the book away into it - she didn’t think she’d read it anyway. Pearl was busy tapping away at her computer, her long slender fingers clacking off each letter, gaze pinpointed on the screen before her. Peridot inhaled deeply and immediately regretted it. Her nose twitched in anticipation, her face scrunched up and her lips curled into displeased sneer before a violent sneeze wheezed out.

Pearl jumped like a frightened deer, and if it wasn’t because of Peridot’s embarrassing sneeze-cough she would’ve laughed. Hesitantly accepting she was thoroughly humiliated by her body, she ignored the thick heat in her cheeks and went up to the counter.

“Do you have the Berserk trilogy!?” Peridot half shouted, half asked. She quickly corrected herself. “Erm, I mean could you hold the first book for me? Stylised B-Z-R-K.”

Pearl chuckled lightly, giving Peridot a curious glance before typing on her keyboard. “And how are you today?”

“Sick.”

“I see.” Pearl quickly grabbed the box of tissues next to her and waved them under Peridot’s nose. “Here, you might need a few.”

“Do I—” Peridot stopped and touched under her nose, horrified to find that her nose was leaking. Blushing even more furiously, she snatched two tissues and stuffed them up her nose. She averted her gaze from the librarian, glaring at her feet and wishing that she could crawl up into her antisocial ball at home.

“Oh, I didn’t realise you were into science fiction,” Pearl murmured as she squinted slightly at the screen. “What happened to that coming of age series you were reading last time you came in?”

“Sci-fi is actually my second favourite genre. And, uh, you guys don’t have the latest book in yet.”

“Oh? Would you like me to order it for you?” she asked, no doubt already opening the online store.

“Yes, that sounds satisfactory,” Peridot happily replied. “It’s the third in the Changers series, called Kim.”

Peridot guessed Pearl was reading the book’s description, because after a few moments of silence of her staring at her monitor, she let out a soft, “Sounds interesting.”

_Well if you don’t mind minority representation, sure_ , Peridot thought.

Instead, she answered, “Indeed it is. Depending on your tastes you might like it.”

Pearl hummed. “And what tastes would I need?”

“Uh, well you have to like coming of age novels. But it’s kinda sci-fi? There’s shapeshifting.”

“I’ll have to give it a read after you.”

Peridot laughed nervously. “Yeah. Have you put Berserk on hold for me?”

“Oh, sorry!” Pearl flicked her gaze to her computer, her cheeks reddening slightly. “I got distracted, I’ll do that right now. May I have your card?”

Peridot slid her library card over the counter, Pearl quickly scanning it and placing it into her hand. Peridot too acutely took notice of Pearl’s fingertips grazing her palm. They felt soft against her roughish skin, like she moisturised her hands (though Peridot found the idea preposterous - who would _do_ that?)

And that’s when her mind thought it would be a _great_ time to _flirt_. Without her permission, naturally.

“I suppose I am rather distracting,” Peridot murmured, loud enough for Pearl to hear. And much to her joy, Pearl’s previous light blush spread across the bridge of her nose.

“Yes, uh, w-well, it was nice of you to come in today. I hope you’re not sick for too much longer. I’ll see you around Peridot,” she spluttered out at a motor-mouth speed not quite rivalling Peridot’s.

“Oh, erm, yeah.” Peridot slinked out of the library, fully realising that perhaps flirting was not only one of her weaknesses (she was a _terrible_ flirter), but inappropriate. She wondered if Pearl was even _into_ girls, and if her attempts were fruitless. Frankly, her ‘gaydar’ was about as functioning as a phone in a bathtub.

She leant against the light post next to her bus stop. _Why_ was she doing all of this? Peridot had never been a dating sort of person, or even a flirting sort. She grew up cold and distant, hiding her feelings away because that’s what her mother was like. And in her later teens, on the rare occasion that someone _was_ aesthetically pleasing, she never had the guts to say it.

Maybe growing up gives a confidence boost.

_That must be it_ , Peridot thought.

Lapis was the first person she ever asked on a date, and it was half because of pity, and half because of actual infatuation. She had choked on her words, and eager to end her embarrassment, she yelled out, “DO YOU WANT TO GO ON A DATE!?”

Lapis had laughed at her incompetence, and reluctantly agreed. It had happened only two weeks after moving in together, and after going for a walk in the park with pizza for dinner, Lapis had admitted that whilst it was nice of Peridot to take her out, she wasn’t interesting in dating. Peridot had face palmed and croaked out, “Of course. I blame the J-word.”

Nothing romantic sparked between them, and strangely enough the awkwardness only died down from there. They ended up dubbing it a ‘platonic date’, and didn’t shy away from asking each other on one when the other was feeling down.

Lapis really _wasn’t_ terrible, she was just soft with a hard exterior. Like a watermelon. Peridot couldn’t really talk though; she was like that too when she was younger. The difference between her and Lapis was that Lapis grew colder with age, and Peridot not. Or _Peri-not_.

The bus rolled up beside her, and she leapt aboard, thankful for the blissful air conditioning in the vehicle. A small smile curved Peridot’s lips as she thought back.

Lapis turning her down lead her to preoccupy herself with the librarian. It wasn’t quite the infatuation that ended up with both parties under the sheets, or even to soft kisses in the moonlight (though Peridot didn’t think she’d deny either of those over time), but merely just _knowing_ the person.

Peridot wanted to know what books made Pearl stay up to 5am to finish, how she kept her hands so soft, what weather she enjoyed the most, her favourite song to listen to on rainy days, what made her tick both in anger and arousal, and _so much_ more.

So even if Pearl turned down her attempts at what could’ve been flirting if she wasn’t so incompetent, she still hoped a small friendship could blossom afterwards, like for her and Lapis.

Peridot hummed to herself and plugged her earphones in, letting the music coax her mind into daydreams until she reached the apartment. Before crawling back into bed to sleep the last of her sickness away, she grabbed her tape recorder and held it under her chin.

“So I suppose I was too harsh on Lazuli the s’morning. She isn’t _nearly_ as terrible as this cloddy sickness! Erm, and before I take a nap, progress report on Pearl.” Peridot mustered a quick, heavy breath and puffed. “So today my body decides to rain hell on me…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "Person A works at a library. Person B is the quiet, bookish type, but they have a definite crush on A. Occasionally, they will attempt to flirt with A, to disastrous results, but at one point A leaves a sticky note on the inside cover of a book that B put on hold with their (A’s) phone number on it." - from otpprompts on tumblr


	2. Someone New

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> late trash warning: this fic is going to be pure fluffy romance  
> also nothing too long, roughly 10 chapters i'm guessing

Someone New

Peridot’s sickness had been reduced to ashes in the next few days. Unfortunately, those ashes still made her cough, but she was almost 100% better. After laying in bed almost every day to sleep away the cold (flu? She still couldn’t tell what she was sick with), she had been entirely energised and ready for college. Which is where she found herself now.

Peridot eyed the clock on her computer, watching the minutes roll over with complete disinterest as she stuffed a couple of chips in her mouth. Chicken flavoured crisps, as she preferred (and not just for the green packaging, but it was a bonus).

Peridot’s index finger clacked against the mouse absentmindedly as stared down her assignment write up, the text cursor blinking at her patiently. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy her class; quite the opposite, she was finally learning how to craft her dreamed characters into 3D models. It was writing. Her skills in the writing department were, well, just above average. She was perfectly fine with grammar and spelling, but forming detailed sentences was just _hard_. It was hard enough to figure out the words she wanted to say, nevertheless to write.

She sighed. She’d need Lapis’ help with this.

Lapis wasn’t the, uh, best student in school, having to repeat a year before Peridot had come to know her and being generally careless about her work ethic, but she had an unusual talent for writing. From essays to poems, English was neatly tucked away with A grades amongst the rest of her C grades. It was something she was oddly proud of, and Peridot dared to allow Lapis smugly shove it in her face.

Deciding just that, she closed out of her document and ejected her hard drive, shutting down her computer for the day. The lecturer waved her goodbye as Peridot stuffed her belongings into her bag and left the room.

The weather had finally settled into its season, and a chilly wind breezed through Peridot’s hair as she strode outside and towards her bus stop. The sun was still shining bright in the sky but the temperature had cooled down to one much more tolerable, and for that Peridot was thankful. Summer had been a few months ago, and they were nearing the end of autumn. It was about time the climate caught up.

As Peridot waited at the bus stop with one other student, her phone pinged with a standard message sound. A text from the library she realised as she tugged it out of her hoodie pocket. One of her books on hold had come in and it had only been a few days. Peridot smiled, grateful that it wasn’t one of the long waits she had endured before (she had waited up to _three months_ for book holds before).

The bus arrived shortly after, and Peridot found herself walking to the library after getting off at her normal stop, instead of taking her usual second bus to the apartments. She greeted the library doors with a hopeful smile; if she was lucky, her favourite librarian would be there. Killing two birds with one stone, so to say.

When she walked in, the library was much more busy than the last time. Little kids scampered around the children's area, being loud and boisterous (Peridot wondered where their parents were), and adults crowded around the computers and lounges, many with their faces stuck in books. There was no line at the front desk currently, but Peridot’s spirits sank a little bit when she noticed there was no Pearl at the computer, rather one of the elder women.

She debated whether she _really_ wanted her book on hold; the lemon-faced woman at the counter was rather intimidating, and Peridot didn’t feel like choking on her words today. She gruffly browsed the fantasy section in thought.

_Screw it_. Getting her hands on the book was worth going through whatever irrational fear the librarian sparked in her. She hastily rounded the corner of the fantasy shelves and nearly ran face first into someone. Her heart thudded against her ribs like war drums; she received the fright prematurely. People who appeared out of nowhere were amongst the top of her jumpscare list.

She went to apologise quickly and rush to the counter, but the person she almost slammed into beat her to it.

“Oh, Peridot!” the not-so-stranger cried out in surprise. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you coming!”

Peridot was forced to gaze up at Pearl, and her previous hope returned, along with her cheeks heating up and the war drums pounding just a little less in her chest.

“Sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was going,” Peridot admitted sheepishly, and eyed the books that had tumbled out of the librarians arms and littered the floor around her feet. “Here, let me help.”

“Oh no, it’s alright!” Pearl started, but Peridot was already down on the ground and collecting the strewn books into a small pile. She carried them up and held them out, wearing a proud smile. “Ah, thank you Peridot.”

“You’re welcome!” Peridot replied over-enthusiastically. Before an awkward silence settled in, she quickly added, “Well, I’m off to the counter, see you later Pearl!”

Pearl blinked, then seemingly jolted awake. “Oh! Your book has come in. I’ll go get it.”

Peridot watched Pearl rush to the counter, abandoning the books she previously had in her hands in the trolley beside the aisle, and disappear into the staff area behind it. Peridot raised a curious eyebrow and followed after, fiddling with her hands in her pockets. She sent one glance at the other librarian and inched away. The librarian didn’t even acknowledge her as she waited, merely tapping away at the keyboard for a few moments before she got up and vanished into the maze of shelves.

Pearl finally returned, her smile shaky and a noticeable red tinge blooming on her cheeks. She dropped the book on the counter carefully and played around on the computer for a few seconds before she asked, “May I have your card?” like every other time.

Peridot handed over her card, but something seemed… different. She couldn’t pinpoint what, but Pearl seemed more flustered than usual. Maybe she was still recovering from almost being ran into? Peridot put it as that.

“So how has your day been?” Pearl asked. Peridot indulged in the chit-chat.

“Alright. College as per usual.”

“And how’s your sickness?”

Peridot smiled as Pearl handed her card back, revelling in the librarian’s trembling, soft fingertips grazing over her hand. “I’m all better!”

“That’s good.” Pearl mirrored Peridot’s smile, but the shakiness was still there. “Well, uh, have a n-nice day.”

Peridot slid her book off the counter and under her arm, but gave Pearl a contemplative frown. She could’ve left then and there, but something was nipping at her conscience. Pearl acted nervous at best.

“Are you okay?” Peridot asked, hoping her gaze wasn’t becoming suspicious. She didn’t want Pearl to think she was judging her.

“I—me? Yes! Y-yes, I’m quite alright!” Pearl answered, waving her hand in the air with a forced chuckle.

Peridot scrutinised her words. If Pearl was lying about her okay-ness, then Peridot supposed it wasn’t her place to ask about what was really wrong.

“Okay,” Peridot simply replied, replacing her questioning look with an encouraging smile. Pearl might’ve needed it for whatever she was afraid of. “Have a good afternoon, Pearl!”

“Um, you too,” Peridot heard Pearl squeak out as she left the library.

Peridot slung her bag from her shoulder, sticking the book into it. She was looking forward to reading half of her afternoon away. As she reached the bus stop once again, waiting for her bus home, she thought about the expression Pearl wore. It seemed like… _fear_. Peridot frowned thoughtfully. She hoped Pearl wasn’t in danger.

By the time she got home, she had shook the thought away. Whatever Pearl was facing, she’d be fine. She didn’t look like she was afraid for her life, so it couldn’t’ve been too bad.

_…Right?_

Peridot settled down on the couch. Lapis was home surprisingly, and unsurprisingly she was doubled over watching her fish in their aquarium.

Peridot spun around on the couch, peeking her head over the couch frame and resting her chin on it. “Why do you stare at your fish?”

“Pumpkin and Veggie-head are interesting.”

Peridot scoffed. “They’re fish. _How_ can they be interesting?”

“I also bought a Siamese fighting fish today.”

That had Peridot leaping over the couch and joining Lapis next to the fish tank. Well, tanks. Beside the larger aquarium was a slightly smaller one, where a black betta fish was lazily swimming through the still water. It came up to the glass and observed Peridot staring back at it. Its scales shined iridescent green and blue in the light.

“Do you have a name for it?” Peridot asked, eyes wide with amazement; admittedly, it was still a fish, but much more interesting than most other fish.

Lapis smiled the slightest at Peridot’s happiness. “I know it’s probably a dude, but I want to name _her_ Malachite.”

“Ooh, fancy! Keeping up with geological names, I see.”

Peridot never understood Lapis’ fascination with fish. When they moved in together after high school came to an end, Lapis already had the two fish - Pumpkin, a comet goldfish, and Veggie-head, a black moor. She often found Lapis sitting in front of the tank, staring at the fish staring back at her. Peridot chose not to question why she did this most times.

Lapis didn’t reply, merely let her smile grow as she wandered into the kitchen and boiled the kettle. Peridot watched Malachite drift through the tank for a few more moments before she shook away her enticement and went back to lounging on the couch. Despite almost everything else Lapis owned being old and less than pleasing, the couch was probably the best thing she owned - a soft, black two-seater lounge. She often found Lapis sleeping on the couch rather than her own bed.

Peridot nestled herself into the cushions and made herself very comfortable as she took her book out of her bag, reading the blurb (even though she had read it many times before) before she flipped to the first page.

Her fingers grazed against something on the inside of the front cover - a pink sticky note.

The war drums were thumping against her rib cage again, louder than any she heard in movies, louder than thunder booming in the sky. Before she could stop herself, Peridot cried out, “OH MY GOD!”

“What?” Lapis asked from the kitchen, her tone indicating she was very interested in what Peridot had found. She lumbered over to the couch, a mug of coffee in one hand, and peered over Peridot’s shoulder. The book went flying across the room and thudded against the floor next to the TV before she could get a glimpse of anything.

“Nothing!” Peridot squealed, standing stiffly straight up. Her eyes almost popped out of their sockets when Lapis quickly stalked over to the book and grabbed it. “Wait, no, Lapis! Don’t!”

“Oh? Why not?” Lapis asked, already thumbing the pages and giving Peridot a sly smile.

Peridot leapt to her feet and bounded over to Lapis, but the latter had at least an inch of height on her and held the book above her head.

“Lapis!” Peridot shrieked, her entire body thundering with… something. She didn’t know what.

“Oh c’mon Peridot, it’s just a book. I want a peek,” Lapis justified, rolling her eyes. She flicked through to the first page, and her smug smile grew. She echoed Peridot. “Oh my god. You got someone’s number.”

“I didn’t mean to!” Peridot snapped, reaching for the book again. Lapis finally dropped it into her hands and she desperately cradled it to her chest, trying to ignore the hotness in her face. The contents of the sticky note were glued to the inside of her mind. Dizziness plagued her head at the thought of it; a number followed by ‘ _\- Pearl xx_ ’.

“So, who is this Pearl?” Lapis asked, cutting to the chase as she sat down on the sofa, her cup of coffee back in her hand. She wore a legitimate grin.

Peridot stood still and kept the book close to her chest, trying to will the proud grin curving her lips to die down. “Nobody! Just somebody. Somebody attractive. You don’t know her. She’s cool.”

Lapis raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t sound like nobody. You like her.”

“No I don’t! Of course not! I’m just so happy that this is real. Is this real? Oh my god Pearl just gave me her number.”

“You’re rambling. You only ramble when you’re excited.”

Peridot stayed silent and eyed Lapis with a glint in her eyes.

“Tell me about Pearl,” Lapis encouraged, taking a sip of her drink.

Peridot gave in. She collapsed into the couch next to Lapis. “She’s this cool librarian at the local library. She’s got really pretty hair. And face. And everything.”

“I wonder what you did to get her number,” Lapis wondered.

“I don’t know! I, erm, _accidentally_ flirted with her a few times, but that’s it!”

“Oh my god.” Lapis shook her head amusedly. “You should definitely ring her tonight.”

“I can’t call her!” Peridot squeaked, almost falling off the couch at the prospect of hearing Pearl’s voice on the phone.

It was at that point that Lapis decided to stop talking, as most conversations went - at a seemingly random point, she would always stop talking. Peridot never knew if there was a specific reason or timing to Lapis going quiet, or if it was just filling her socialisation quota.

Lapis merely gave Peridot’s shoulder a squeeze and left the lounge room, most likely to nap in bed. Peridot wanted to be furious at Lapis for just leaving the conversation at that, but couldn’t bring herself to be mad at anything. She got a phone number.

She got _Pearl’s_ flipping phone number.

Peridot’s glare-that-never-came dissolved into a shy smile. So that’s what Pearl was anxious about. In hindsight, she was actually quite brave. And not stupidly brave, like Peridot.

“So Pearl, not so subtle, heh heh,” Peridot spoke aloud as she stared at her phone on the table. She opened the book and ripped the sticky note out, pasting it to her phone’s screen and staring at it in awe. It was _real_.

Nobody showed interest in her when she was younger. Peridot supposed that was because she was cold, distant, and anti-social, but she wished people knew it was an act. It would’ve been nice to be liked.

There was only ever really one person who made contact before Lapis, and that was Jasper. A sports enthusiast with legs the size of tree trunks and hands big enough to pop someone’s skull. She almost always seemed to wear a cocky smile, and liked to prove people wrong, and sometimes even terrify people by towering over them, but she wasn’t a bad person. Everyone still thought she was a bully anyways, even Peridot.

So the day when Jasper collapsed at her lonesome table at lunch break, singlet showing off her toned arms, was the day when Peridot nearly toppled off her table with fear.

She was wearing her signature cocky smile, but she wasn’t terrifying Peridot purposefully, so that was a start.

“Hey pipsqueak,” she introduced, her voice gruff and intimidating, “Mind if I sit here?”

“Uh, no,” Peridot managed to reply, swallowing her fear and keeping her attitude distant. She had kept her eyes trained on her food the entire time, too afraid to lay a single glance on the brute in front of her.

“Cool.”

And it had started at that. Jasper never told her why she decided to bother talking to her in the first place, and she suspected she would’ve known if it weren’t for her break up with Lapis.

Admittedly, despite all the bad omen around her, Peridot sometimes missed Jasper.

Peridot brought herself back to the present and eyed the phone with more vigour. She wanted to call Pearl now, get it over and done with. But she knew Pearl would be working until the library closed at 5pm, and it was only 3:18pm, and that was two hours of thinking of every word to say, every outcome of the conversation, every problem she could run into.

She tried reading for half an hour. After every page, Peridot would break her concentration away to think about the phone call, about the time of day, _about Pearl_ , and then she’d have to convince herself to read the next page, only for the cycle to repeat.

It was annoying to say the least.

Peridot had gotten through six pages of her book in half an hour, and spent the next hour and 12 minutes staring from the sticky note, to her phone, to the television repeating an episode of a show her and Lapis often watched. 

Lapis came out once between 3:18pm and 5pm, and only to get another coffee and stare at her aquarium for a few moments. At this point, Peridot was _sure_ Lapis was being silent to spite her, for the fun of it all.

When 5pm hit, she immediately sprung off the couch, only to sink back into it again in realisation that Pearl wouldn’t be let off right on the dot, and that she’d need some time at home to settle in for the night, and that she might be doing something after work, and—

Peridot cut off her train of thought and tried to calm her mind.

“Hey Lapis, what do you want for dinner?” she called out.

“It’s 5pm Peridot, don’t ask so much of me,” Lapis shouted back jokingly.

Peridot grumbled to herself. “Do you want pizza tonight? I could do with some pizza.”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

Peridot kept that in mind as she paced around the apartment. She watched her feet fall against the floor with every step, the cycle somewhat soothing her. Cycles seemed to do that for her.

“You nervous?” Lapis asked, now suddenly leaning against the doorframe of her bedroom, an unreadable expression resting on her face.

“Yes!” Peridot cried out, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I’ve had almost two hours to think about this phone call, and now I’m all jittery and—ugh. Why do I have to overthink everything? Why can’t I be—” Peridot put on a faux confident grin and let her arms loose, “—cool?”

“You scared?” Lapis questioned instead.

Peridot thought about that for a moment. “No. I want to talk to Pearl. I’ve just overthought everything and tried to predict everything that I or she could say, but I know I’ve missed things and it’s going to throw me when we do talk.”

“I wonder what she feels like,” Lapis thought aloud.

“Hmm.” Peridot considered this. She didn’t know Pearl all that well in all honesty. Maybe she could ask about her life on the phone? That sounded reasonable. “I don’t know. She seemed nervous when she gave me the book. It’s possible she’s nervous right now, like me.”

“Well, then you’re not alone.” Lapis tried for an encouraging smile, but it fell after a few moments. “You’ll be fine. If Pearl gave you her number, she obviously likes you. She won’t say anything bad if you do manage to stuff up your talking.”

“Hey,” Peridot mumbled, frowning slightly.

“Sorry, that sounded more supportive in my head.”

And with that, Lapis went back into her cave.

Peridot stared at her phone again for probably the 40th time in the past hour.

It was 5:09pm. Peridot decided to have a long shower to pass the time, despite the fact she already had one in the morning. She grabbed her phone and her pyjamas, heading to the bathroom and locking it behind her. Selecting a playlist on Soundcloud, she gazed at herself for a good few moments, not completely oblivious to the pink tinge in her cheeks, before she started undressing and hopped into the shower.

The water running down her body distracted her for a few moments, but she still played out possibilities of the phone call in her head. Different introductions, different topics, different wordings. It was hard to factor everything when there was another person involved. People were unpredictable. She didn’t like that when she was younger, but now it made her happier, to be surprised by factors she hadn’t thought of in day to day life.

Peridot sang in the shower to keep her mind at bay (it didn’t matter to her if she was a terrible singer).

It was 5:33pm when Peridot was in her space-themed pyjamas, her hair dry against her previously damp skin, peering at her phone once again. She didn’t really want Lapis to hear her conversation with Pearl, so she laid down on her somewhat messy bed (though _nothing_ compared to Lapis’) and held the phone close to her face.

It was a miracle the phone didn’t slip from her hand once and hit her right in the nose.

Peridot held the sticky note in her other hand. Not entirely out of sheer boredom, she had memorised Pearl’s number already. Her thumb grazed over the phone app, and it burst to life, showing the complete barren land of her recent calls. The last one was from weeks ago; her mum checking up on her.

Slowly, she tapped out each digit of Pearl’s number. Afterwards Peridot would give her a prized place on her contacts list; a list of five people.

Peridot forced an odd calm over her mind. Well, she tried. Thoughts still nagged at her head, but she put on her brave face and tapped at the call button.

The phone rang once, twice, thrice, and somewhere between that and the fourth ring, the call was answered.

“Hello?” Pearl’s distinctive voice greeted, and it seemed she _knew_ it was Peridot because she heard the same nervous edge in it as earlier today.

“Hey Pearl. It’s Peridot,” she timidly replied, but breathed deeply and grinned at the fact that this was all happening for real. Someone she showed interest had shown interest _back_. It made a warmth seep into her chest.

“Oh, P-Peridot! I, um, see you, uh, read the… book.”

“Yeah! I only got through six pages though.”

Pearl’s laugh was very strained from the other end. “I, um, didn’t expect you to c-call.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Peridot frowned. Did Pearl get ignored often? Or was she just pessimistic? She didn’t realise a pessimistic bone even _existed_ in Pearl.

“B-because I’m just a hopeless librarian.” Another forced laugh that was devoid of joy. “Sorry, I’m driving you away.”

“Hey, no, it’s okay.” Peridot bit her lip; she _really_ wasn’t expecting the conversation to turn upside-down so fast. “I’ve really wanted to talk to you for a while! But I wasn’t really sure how to, erm, ask about numbers and contacts and such. So I’m really glad you gave me your number - in a pretty clever way too!”

“I’m sorry. This isn’t something I do normally - like the _whole_ thing.” Peridot imagined Pearl was expressing her words with hand gestures - something she’d noticed often - and smiled. “I’ve never given my number out, or talk much over the phone at all. My friends convinced me to do this. But… I’m glad you want to t-talk. I didn’t mean to be down about you calling.”

“It’s okay,” Peridot repeated. “I personally think that was really brave of you!”

“Thank you, it wasn’t exactly easy.” Pearl hesitated. “But, um, would you maybe like to… c-catch up sometime? We can talk more then.”

Peridot liked to think her previous comment gave Pearl a confidence boost. She grinned. “Heck yeah! Er, sorry, I’m a bit excited over this all.”

“Th-that’s okay! Would Friday afternoon be okay with you? Or Saturday, if that works better?”

Peridot checked her mental calendar - no college on Fridays. “Friday’s good! Where do you want to meet up?”

“Um, do you know the _Opalescent_ cafe in town centre?”

Peridot knew of the name - passed by it several times on the way to town. “Yeah, I think. What time are you thinking of?”

“4pm maybe?”

“Alright!” She made sure to make a note in her mental calendar. “Then it’s a date!”

Pearl made a noise that Peridot couldn’t place. “Er, well, I’ll see you then!”

_Oh_. Peridot frowned. She didn’t think the conversation would go that quickly, but she supposed Pearl was busy. She heard distant voices on Pearl’s side of the phone before she replied, “Okay! See you later Pearl.”

“Oh, and thank you for calling. It means a lot.”

Peridot smiled proudly at that and the phone call went quiet. The conversation _really_ didn’t go to any of her plans.

All thoughts of her college assessment went out the window as she pondered spending the afternoon with Pearl three days away.


	3. Waiting for the Rain to Come

Waiting for the Rain to Come

_Opalescent_ glowed in the distance, the welcoming sign broad and bold over the roof of the cafe. It was hard to forget the cafe; few amongst the corporate chain cafes, but stunning looking with a personality in its presentation.

Peridot’s watch ticked over to 4:13PM. She hoped Pearl wasn’t impatient; she had decided to get off the bus earlier than needed to take a short walk in the wintery breeze. It was nice. She often admired the cooler weather over the mostly unbearable summers. It also helped with the built up nerves and excitement in her system, something like stretching the feelings out in her leg muscles. 

She tugged her hoodie closer to her torso and shoved her hands deep into the pockets as she bound closer to the cafe, hesitantly pulling out a hand to open the door only a few seconds later. The warmth of _Opalescent_ hit her in the face like a wave, and began to heat up her unknowingly cold face.

Peridot quickly cleaned her glasses before peering through them, scanning through the cafe for Pearl. In one of the less occupied corners of the cafe, Pearl sat, darting her eyes away after giving a brief wave at Peridot.

_So she spotted me first._

Peridot loosened up her hoodie and smiled at the librarian, sauntering over to the table and taking a seat. She tried to ignore the… _fluffy_ feeling in her stomach? Some sort of uplifting and poetic feeling, at least. (Lapis would know the word).

“Hey Pearl,” Peridot greeted a little shyly, moving her face out of view slightly as her smile grew unexpectedly. “How long have you been waiting?”

If Peridot’s actions were shy, Pearl was completely petrified (but in a good way?) Peridot wasn’t sure. It was sometimes hard to decipher body language.

“Hello P-Peridot. I arrived early, but, um, don’t worry, I always do that.”

Peridot raised an eyebrow, but nodded nonetheless. “I walked here partially. It’s nice out. I didn’t mean to keep you waiting.”

“That’s why I said don’t worry, I arrived early on my own accord.” Pearl smiled absentmindedly and stared out the window, avoiding eye contact. “You like winter weather, I presume?”

“Yeah somewhat, I can’t stand the heat. It gets sticky and humid and unpleasant. But thunderstorms are also unpleasant.”

Pearl hummed, but seemed distracted. She fixedly stared through the window, and her hands were shaky, fiddly. Peridot frowned.

“Do you want to order drinks, since you’ve been waiting a while?”

Pearl almost flinched, and Peridot frowned deeper. It wasn’t meant to sound like an accusation. “Yes, thanks. I’ll pay!”

“No, it’s okay, I offered.”

Acting defeated, Pearl nodded, but it looked like she wanted to say something more.

“What would you like?” Peridot asked, already getting up from the seat she got comfortable in.

“Um, a chai latte. Thank you Peridot.”

Peridot offered her friendliest smile. “You’re welcome!”

It was sometimes strange being around Pearl. Lapis too. Even Jasper, looking back on it. Peridot was never really a sociable creature, nor was she all that friendly around strangers. She didn’t really like people at all growing up, but she supposed that was her mother’s doing, though whether intentional or not she did not know.

These three people seemed to be an exception. Around Pearl, she felt ignited, for lack of better words. Awkwardness always settled at the core of it all, but she felt excited and anticipated learning more about the librarian. It was an odd feeling for a person she didn’t really know.

Lapis had really helped her open up. After high school’s end, she coaxed Peridot to grow out of her shell, despite Lapis not being sociable either. They were able to freely have fun in public, and Peridot didn’t worry over what people thought of her. It was nice to not be uncomfortable around strangers when Lapis was around, like the both of them could be socially awkward together.

And Jasper… Well, Jasper was the first person to trust her. 

The barista eyed Peridot as she stared at the drinks menu. She knew what to order, but it helped to stare at something plausible as she slipped into daydreams or memories.

“Sorry,” Peridot apologised, giving the tall woman a sheepish smile. “Could I get a regular chai latte and a berry smoothie?”

“A smoothie, in this weather?” the barista jokingly asked, but jotted down the orders anyway. Her name tag read ‘Opal’. Peridot presumed she owned the place. “Dine in or takeaway?”

“Dine in, thanks.”

“Alright. That’ll be $6.50.”

Peridot pulled out some spare change in her wallet, and Opal handed her the table number. She was a tall woman, her legs making up most of her height, and long sandy blonde hair trailed down her back in a ponytail. Underneath her apron, she wore colourful clothes.

Peridot decided she liked _Opalescent_ at that moment.

Giving the barista a bright smile, she sauntered back over to her table, placing the table number between her and Pearl.

Peridot kept the smile for Pearl. “So, how have you been?”

Nerves wracked Pearl; Peridot could see it. Her hands had a slight tremor, her eyes darted away from contact, and she seemed to cave in on herself. She looked like what Peridot felt like for the past few days.

“Busy working. A job’s a job though,” Pearl replied, chuckling forcibly.

“I meant, how have you been feeling?” At Pearl’s avoidance of eye contact again, Peridot elaborated. “You seem really anxious. I’m hoping you haven’t been anxious for days.”

“Oh, um…” Pearl trailed off, gazing at a wooden swirl on the table top. “I’m good. This whole concept of meeting people is kind of new to me. But otherwise, I’m fine.”

Peridot nodded suspiciously, but she supposed it wasn’t her business, as much as she wanted to make it so. In all fairness though, if Pearl was anxious about her, then it should’ve at least partially been her business. Peridot held back a frown. She didn’t want to make Pearl feel that way, even if she didn’t admit it.

Pearl continued; Peridot supposed she had gone quiet for too long. “So, um, how about you?”

“I’ve been working on an assignment in 3D character design, though it’s a little hard to finish it when the college isn’t giving out student copies of the software, paid or free.” She felt Pearl’s eyes on her and looked back to smile. “It’s fun anyways! My roommate and I both like to do artistic stuff together, so I get a bit of help from her.”

Pearl glanced away from Peridot’s eye contact, but still seemed interested in talking. “Oh, you have a roommate?”

“Yeah, her name’s Lapis. She’s a friend I made as high school ended. She’s a…” Peridot smiled quirkily, “…different sort of person.”

“Tell me about it. I have two roommates from high school too. We’re all completely different, yet somehow we’ve managed to live together for this long.” Pearl chuckled, finally a comfortable smile curving her lips. Peridot smiled too.

Opal wandered over with the chai and smoothie on a platter in her hands, giving… some sort of look towards Pearl. It seemed liked they knew each other.

“Chai latte and smoothie?” Opal sort-of-asked, giving another look to Pearl. Her eyebrows were raised, or at least the one Peridot could see.

“Smoothie, thanks,” she replied, the berry drink being placed in front of her. Also on the platter was a plate with two large cookies, which Opal placed lastly on their table. Peridot frowned; she didn’t order any food.

“On the house,” Opal explained, smiling to both Peridot and Pearl now. She quickly left with the empty platter, a bounce in her step.

Peridot gazed from her drink, to the cookies, to Pearl’s reddening face. “What was that about?”

“Oh, um, her name is Opal. She’s a friend,” she explained abashedly. 

“Is that why we came to this specific cafe?”

Pearl shrugged. “Kind of. I like this cafe, and I’m a regular too.”

“And that’s why we got free cookies?” Peridot grinned. “Okay, I’m definitely coming here more often with you for free food!”

Pearl wore a cute smile and laughed a little. “You sound a lot like one of my roommates when you say that.”

“One day I might have to meet them then. If they can appreciate free cafe food as much as myself, then they must be a great person!” Peridot took a sip of her smoothie, the coldness of it already burning at her teeth. She didn’t regret buying it nevertheless.

“Yeah, maybe.” She sipped at her chai and gave darting glances at Peridot.

“So how long have you and your roomies been living together for?” Peridot asked after taking a bite of her cookie. It was warm and soft. 

“Oh, probably a couple of years now with one of them, Garnet. Recently our other friend joined when she turned 18.”

Peridot frowned. “Wait, how old are you?”

Pearl mimicked the frown. “21. How old are _you_?”

“Oh. Um, I’m 18 and a half.”

Pearl pulled a face that seemed rather shocked. “Oh! I, uh, didn’t know you were that young! Uh.”

“I didn’t think you’d be in your twenties,” Peridot replied honestly, feeling her face heat up. Pearl didn’t look like she was three years older than her; though, she realised, years are not that easy to see past high school.

Awkward silence settled between them. 

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Pearl eventually replied, looking away.

Peridot bit her lip. She wasn’t great at reading body language, nor signals. She was sure if Lapis were here, she’d easily tell her the answer to her question, but she wasn’t, and Pearl was really the only one who could give her the answer.

“Pearl… was this like a um, a, yanno… a date? I’m sorry for asking I’m just not great at reading signals and I don’t want to scare you away and I—”

Pearl stood up, silencing Peridot’s motor-mouthing. She seemed upset. _Really_ upset. “I—I’m sorry.”

She hugged herself and bolted out the door, her cookie left untouched. Peridot sprung to her feet, eyes wide with worry and misunderstanding, abandoning her half finished drink. (She honestly wanted to finish it, but going after Pearl mattered more than a stupid smoothie).

She left the warmth of the cafe, noticing Opal’s eyes trailing over her, and into the cold outside where the grey clouds overhead covered the sun and began to sprinkle a little rain. She once again fumbled with cleaning her glasses of condensation and rain.

“Pearl?” Peridot called out, spotting her walking off in the direction Peridot came from when she arrived. She stopped on the middle of the pathway.

Peridot dashed to her, noticing her arms tight around her torso, shaking. She wore nothing more than a light peachy cardigan over what Peridot presume to be a white tank top. The rain continued to sprinkle over the both of them.

“Pearl! I’m sorry I didn’t mean to say anything to upset you and being uncomfortable or too young and—and, c’mon, let’s get you out of the cold!”

“C-can we walk?” Pearl asked, already taking off in the direction she was going in. “I don’t want to go back in there.”

“Okay,” Peridot agreed a little reluctantly; Pearl had to be freezing. She didn’t mind the cold or rain herself, other than glasses maintenance.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I just—I just didn’t realise…” Pearl shook her head, holding herself even tighter. Peridot risked a look up at Pearl, whose face was scrunched up.

“Oh god, are you going to cry? Please don’t—”

“God, I’m so stupid,” Pearl interrupted, walking faster.

“Hey, hey, let’s find somewhere to sit down and talk, okay?” Peridot offered, and looked around. They were coming upon the park where Peridot’s bus dropped her off. It was somewhere she was familiar with, finding herself spending some time there by herself and with Lapis. “Let’s go over there, there’s some places to sit under cover.”

Pearl nodded meekly, not saying anything. Peridot wanted to grab her forearm and lead her, but she supposed the last thing Pearl wanted was her touch.

She sauntered under the trees, getting as much cover to shield Pearl from the rain. Ahead of them was a gazebo, its green tin roof blending in naturally with the outdoor colours. There didn’t seem to be anyone around, so Peridot lead Pearl underneath its cover. She sat down on the seat within, looking at Pearl expectantly. Pearl sat on the other side of the seat.

Peridot bit her lip and crossed her legs underneath her so she could swivel and face Pearl.

“Did I do something?” she asked, genuinely curious. She hated being unaware of her wrongdoings.

Pearl shook her head, refusing to look at Peridot. “No, no, you didn’t do anything. I-I just—I’m just stupid.”

“How are you stupid? Because for the record, I don’t think you are,” Peridot asked, trying to encourage her companion.

“I thought—I thought… never mind.”

Peridot frowned. “You thought I was older?”

“Well, yes, um, but that—that isn’t the problem. Just forget it. I should probably go home anyway.”

Peridot gazed at her hands in her lap. “Okay… I’m sorry I asked if we were on a date. I just thought… I wasn’t sure if this was a date or a friend thing and I’m really sorry that I thought it was a date because I’m really bad at reading the signs and sometimes I over-exaggerate and—”

“You… thought we were on a date?” Pearl was looking at her, eyes wide with surprise.

Peridot nodded, staring at her lap. “Sorry, I know it’s probably weird, you’re probably not even into girls, I just—I don’t know, I thought it seemed like a date, but then again I’ve never been on one, well a proper one, so…”

“Um.” Pearl looked away again. “I thought we were on a date too… I thought _you_ didn’t think that. That’s why I… had to leave. I’m so sorry I stormed out of the cafe. That was really rude of me. I’m really sorry.”

“Oh,” Peridot squeaked. They both fell into silence, Peridot listening to the light rain pitter patter on the roof of the gazebo. She watched droplets roll off the gutter and drip onto the seat, staining the wood darker. 

“Sorry, I made this awkward.” Peridot sighed, biting the inside of her cheek nervously. “Do over?”

“What?”

Peridot sighed again, but tried for a smile. She stood up in front of Pearl, eyeing her flushed face, realising she was probably blushing just as much, and hesitantly stuck her hand. “Hi, my name’s Peridot and I’m a really awkward person who comes to borrow books at your library. I would like to go on a date with you, if yanno… my age isn’t a worry, because I’d really love to get to know you more. Oh god, I’m rambli—”

“Yes.” Pearl’s face was reddening more, blending into the odd freckles splattered over her cheeks and nose. It contrasted her light blue eyes. “I, uh, never realised you actually… wanted to go on a date with me. I thought I was just hoping for no reason but, um… Yes. I want to go on a date. With you.”

Peridot grinned shyly. “Then it’s a date! Do you want to maybe go back to the cafe or…?”

“I’m so sorry! You probably didn’t get to finish your drink, right? God, I’m—”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” Peridot interrupted, frowning a little. “It’s alright, it’s a bit cold for smoothies anyway. Just don’t put yourself down, please.”

Pearl nodded resignedly. “Okay, I’ll try. Are you sure you don’t want to go back?”

“I mean, it’s warmer than here, but it would be awkward to return back to the cafe after leaving in a rush five minutes ago,” she admitted sheepishly. Peridot added a shrug. “Do you… want to just walk around the park, maybe find somewhere else warm to invade? I imagine you must be really cold only in that jacket.”

Pearl stared past the gazebo’s roof, looking at the dark clouds sprinkling rain over the scene. “It probably would be best to get somewhere warm, we wouldn’t want to be kept in the rain if it gets heavier. My car is back at the cafe if you want to drive somewhere instead of walk around in the cold?”

“Uh, yeah. That sounds good, if you want to go for a drive.” Peridot pulled her hoodie tighter to her body and smiled hopefully. “You wanna head off then, before it starts pouring?”

“Sure.” Pearl stood up, towering over Peridot with her long legs. She mimicked Peridot’s smile, albeit a little shaky. “And thank you Peridot. It means a lot that you want to still hang around me even after bailing. If it isn’t obvious, I get quite a bit of anxiety. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Peridot wasn’t sure what else to say. ( _Of course I want to hang out with you?_ No, that sounded a bit too desperate.) Instead, she continued with, “So what are your roommates like?”

Pearl’s smile broadened, and she began the walk back to the cafe car park, Peridot at her side. “Well, there’s Garnet whom I met in sophomore year of high school, when she was a freshman. We met in the library as two outcasts, and we’ve been friends ever since. She’s… quiet. But she’s friendly, not the anti-social quiet. Well, not _all_ the time, heh.” Pearl had a gleam in her eye that made her mood brighten that much more. “Then there’s Amethyst, she’s your age. A… friend of mine, Rose, met Amethyst when she was a freshman. A little troublemaker she was, but Rose adopted her into our group, even though we were three grades apart. She’s the one who loves food.”

“Ahh, so she’s the one I’d love to eat free food with, gotcha,” Peridot replied, grinning. The way Pearl livened up talking about her roommates was contagious; it made Peridot feel warm and fuzzy inside.

“I’ll have to take you two to a buffet some time,” Pearl joked back. “What’s your roommate like? Lapis, you said?”

Peridot snorted. “Oh, she’s a handful, but like a _good_ handful, if that makes sense. We moved in together after senior year, I believe around august, and I think the best way to describe it is as a journey. She’s anti-social, sarcastic, and lazy, but she makes a good friend when you need one.”

“She sounds interesting.” Pearl nodded towards the car park. “My car’s right over here. Are you sure you don’t want to grab your drink?”

Peridot waved it off. “Eh, it’s probably been cleaned up by now.”

Pearl winced. “Sorry again.”

“Hey, it’s alright!” At Pearl’s uncertainty, Peridot stopped before her before they reached her car. Pearl’s arms were wound tight around her waist, and Peridot briefly thought about pulling them loose, but thought better of it. She placed a hand on Pearl’s arm, gazing into her eyes. “Seriously, it’s alright. It took me a long time to realise mistakes are okay too. I just want to have fun with you, alright?”

Pearl smiled sheepishly and looked away. “When did you get so wise and kind? Where’s snarky, defensive Peridot?”

Peridot shrugged and beamed. “She doesn’t need to be here right now. Now let’s go find somewhere warm to camp at!”

“Alright, alright.”

Pearl got into the driver’s seat, Peridot in the passenger’s. Immediately after igniting the ignition, Pearl cranked the heater up. As much as Peridot enjoyed the cold, being warm during winter was equally as satisfying.

“Any ideas of where to go?” Pearl asked, pulling out of the car park.

“I would suggest another cafe, but I really don’t think we need more drinks. Hrm, how about…” Peridot grabbed her phone, absentmindedly making a few searches on the internet. “How about we go out for dinner? Food, not drinks.”

Pearl quirked an eyebrow, but otherwise kept her eyes trained on the road. “What do you have in mind?”

“Like a tavern? It’d be warm, there’d be inexpensive food, and maybe even a band playing. That, or we could browse the food court for different shops and find somewhere to sit.”

Pearl hummed. “Honestly, the latter sounds more appealing. I could really go for some sushi right now. Would you be okay with that?”

“Sure thing. There’s plenty of other food stalls around the sushi one anyways.”

“So off to the shopping centre?”

“If you’re okay with that, then hell yeah!”

Pearl grinned and drove towards the suburb shopping mall.

Peridot never really went out with Lapis to eat. Often they’d order takeout and pig out at home, but neither of them really went to dine in at places, whether cafes, taverns, restaurants, or everything between. Lapis was never an ‘eating out in public person’, and Peridot could understand why; she was a messy eater to the extreme. But Lapis never had a problem making a mess in front of Peridot, almost encouraging a food fight at one stage.

However, Jasper had taken Peridot out a few times for dining out - nothing spectacular, since Peridot wasn’t the one Jasper had been dating, but cafe breakfasts and bar food during the evening weren’t unheard of between them. It was awkward to look back on it; she bonded with Jasper first, but ended up living with Lapis. Peridot wondered if things had gone differently if she’d be living with Jasper instead, or even the three of them happily. Or… alone entirely.

She watched the rain roll down the windshield and windows, being pulled by the speed of the car. Peridot honestly missed drives through the winter in the evening; it was a surreal feeling oddly enough, watching the rain make trails and pathways against the glass, the sky darkening and the street lamps lighting up the environment.

“Hey Pearl, can we do a question game?” Peridot asked, moving away from the window and giving the driver a curious look. The car was mostly quiet, the radio only humming in the background and the rain splattering against the glass making hushed noises. Almost so quiet Peridot could hear Pearl’s breathing, even and calm compared to the anxious huffing from earlier.

“What sort of question game do you have in mind?” she asked with a slight frown, pulling up in front of a traffic light. Peridot recognised the street - not long now until the food mall.

“Nothing in particular, I just wanna get to know you,” Peridot replied sheepishly. She noticed Pearl’s lips twinge back into her cute smile. “Like, simple questions like ‘what’s your favourite colour?’”

“A go-to question,” Pearl hummed, but continued, “Light blue and pink. I like both colours equally. What about you?”

Peridot pulled out the top of her green shirt from under her dark grey hoodie. “Green. Favourite book?”

“Oh, that’s difficult. I love reading so many different books. Hmm, maybe Destroying Avalon. I kinda like sad stories, and it was something I read during high school that felt oddly fitting. What about you?”

Peridot pondered for a moment. “I’ve never heard of that novel before, but then again I tend to stay away from sad stories. Um, I honestly really like that series we discussed a while ago, Changers? It has some coming out moments that really helped me feel more confident in myself.”

“That’s sweet. It is really nice finding a book or TV series with LGBTQ characters,” Pearl agreed, before pulling into a parking lot outside a brightly lit shopping centre. “Alright, we’re here. What’s your favourite pastime?”

Peridot hummed as she jumped out of Pearl’s old Honda Civic, pulling her hoodie over her mess of hair after cleaning her glasses again for the umpteenth time that day. She was starting to regret wearing them today in this weather; her nearsightedness wasn't so bad that she wouldn’t’ve survived, more of a precaution thanks to her mother.

“Well, I like spending most of my time playing games and browsing the internet, with a good read here and there.” Peridot clambered into the shopping centre, happy to be in the warmth again, Pearl trailing behind. “What about you?”

“Well, obviously I like reading a lot too, but I like playing the piano, singing, dancing, and writing sometimes too.”

“Wow, you play the piano _and_ sing?” Peridot asked, eyes wide in amazement. “Do you write songs?”

Pearl inclined her head. “Not really. I’m not sure if I aspire to be a musician, but I certainly enjoy it. My parents made me take an interest in ‘practical’ hobbies when I was younger, so it was either learn an instrument or play sports. So I guess I have them to thank, sort of. What do you study at school?”

The two of them walked up the escalators and wandered to the food mall, the smells of so many different food styles blending into one alluring aroma.

“I study games and animation. I’d love to work on a game in the future, but I’ve also thought about engineering classes if it doesn’t work out,” Peridot replied, eyeing the different food stalls hungrily. “So you’re 21, have you studied before? Surely you haven’t been at the library for a few years.”

Pearl scoffed, then straightened her face nervously. “Of course not. I actually contemplated studying engineering when I first took interest in uni, but I ended up going with a literature class in college to begin with. My friends have been encouraging me to go to a music school though, but once again I’m not too sure.”

“Have too many interests, I see?” Peridot stated (more like a question). “Alright, let’s put this on hold until after we’ve got our food!”

“Agreed.”

Whilst Pearl went straight to the sushi stall, Peridot wandered around the mall, glancing at all the different ethnic foods alongside the takeaways. She briefly considered getting greasy fried chicken before she turned to the Turkish takeout, ordering a marinated beef kebab roll.

Pearl wandered over with her container of sushi and sashimi, eyeing the kebab shop.

“It’s a bit of a messy dinner,” she observed, and Peridot snorted.

“Of course it is, but we’ll see how long you want to hang around me once I’ve made a pig of myself.”

Pearl arched an eyebrow. “Please don’t make a pig of yourself.”

“I’m doing it. Breaking first date etiquette and making a mess of myself.”

Peridot caught Pearl rolling her eyes amusedly and grinned. “Hey, gotta be comfortable with my true self, right?”

“Sure, sure.” She gestured towards the counter. “Looks like your kebab is ready.”

Peridot grabbed her dinner excitedly, signalling for Pearl to follow her to their table. The mall was mostly quiet, a few families and friends scattered here and there across the tables, the shopping centre quietening down with the evening settling in. Their metal chairs squeaked against the tiled floor.

“It would be nice if there was comfier chairs,” Pearl grumbled before reluctantly sitting down. Peridot shrugged.

“Better than sitting on the floor.”

“Yes, I suppose that is true.”

Peridot hummed to herself after taking a huge bite into the kebab. She swallowed her mouthful. “So, what’s your favourite movie?”

“Honestly?” Pearled sighed a little, dropping her chopsticks. “I’m not too big on movies. The majority of them aren’t _bad_ , I’m just bored of the same themes and character tropes being regurgitated. On that note though, I do really enjoy, uh… Carol. I’m also really looking forward to Wonder Woman next year too.”

“Oh, I haven’t watched Carol yet! I should really get to it, I’ve been slacking.” Peridot took another bite of her kebab, sauce oozing out of the wrap. She smiled abashedly. “I love a lot of movies, but I tend to lean towards animation of any kind. I think Wreck It Ralph has got to be one of my faves.”

“Ah yes, I’ve seen that movie. I enjoyed it a bit, but I presume not nearly as much as you did, as you’re an avid gamer.” Pearl finished the last of her sashimi and dumped the container in the bin nearby. “Alright, I’m ready to go whenever you are.”

Peridot gestured at her kebab almost finished, and stuffed as much as she could into her mouth.

“You really weren’t joking when you said you’d make a mess of yourself,” Pearl observed, grimacing. “I think you and Amethyst are going to get along really well.”

Peridot self-consciously wiped at her mouth with a serviette. “Hey, just getting comfortable.”

Pearl merely raised both eyebrows. 

“Okay, I’m ready to go.”

Pearl lead Peridot out of the shopping centre, both of them rushing for the car to get out of the cold. It honestly felt surreal being around Pearl for so long; Peridot never realised she’d _actually_ be on a date, especially with some girl she talked to a few times at the library and found admittedly cute. As she gazed at Pearl strapping herself in and pulling the car out of the car park, her insides did backflips.

The reality was starting to sink in. She just went on a date. _With Pearl_.

She was sure she was blushing by the time she spoke up. “Hey Pearl?”

“Yes?”

“I know tonight’s been all fun and games, but it’s been really nice to hang out with you. Like, _seriously_ great. I never thought I’d actually, y’know… have a chance to hang around you, let alone… go on a _date_. I’m sorry about the misunderstandings earlier today, I’m just so excited that something like this is actually happening.”

Pearl stiffened, and Peridot feared she said the wrong thing.

“I, um, feel the s-same. Amethyst and Garnet know how I, uh… kinda talked about you a bit at home.” She blushed, biting her lip slightly. “They encouraged me to put my number in that book, but I was terrified for my life. It’s not the usual that you find other gay women, so I wasn’t sure if… you were okay with it all. Honestly, um, things couldn’t’ve gone better.”

Peridot felt all warm and giddy inside. It felt nice to be thought about.

Pearl gestured to the GPS on her dashboard. “Plug in your address. I’m taking you home, there’s no way I’m letting you walk home in the night and cold.”

“It’s okay, I can catch th—”

“Just put your address in,” Pearl ordered, then softened. “Sorry. It’s not safe to just leave you out there in the cold and dark. Plus, it’s no hassle.”

Peridot obliged and tapped her address to the apartments in. She leant back into her seat, gazing at the moon in the sky now taking over the sun’s place. The ride to her home was mostly quiet, save for the radio mumbling in the background as before. The rain had cleared for now, and Peridot watched the numerous cars they passed by splash in the puddles littering the roads.

Oddly enough, it didn’t feel like an awkward silence. It felt nice to have a break from asking questions and talking, to just soak up what had happened over the past hour or so. When Peridot cast her gaze back on Pearl, she didn’t seem as nervous as she was at the beginning of the date, but she still had an aura of anxiety, from her strained white knuckles to her lip biting.

The apartments appeared before them and Pearl parked the car on the side of the street.

“Would you like to… come in?” Peridot asked before she left the car. “You can meet Lapis, I promise she’s not as bad as I made her out to be.”

“No, it’s okay, my friends are probably wondering where I am anyways.” Pearl gave a nervous, apologetic smile.

“Alright.”

As she began to leave the car, Pearl interrupted. “Wait! Maybe, um, we can d-do this again. That’s is, if you want to…”

“You mean, you want to go on another date sometime?” Peridot grinned, feeling her face warm up. “I’d be down. Call or text me whenever you want, okay?”

“Sure.” Pearl looked down at her lap, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel. “Thank you for tonight Peridot. Despite everything… this was surprisingly fun. I’m still so sorry about the cafe fiasco, I hope you forgive me.”

Peridot braved it out and rubbed Pearl’s shoulder comfortingly (at least, as comfortingly as she knew). “Of course I forgive you, it was nerves getting the better of you. Anyways, I’ll head off now. See you around Pearl.”

Pearl smiled. “See you.”

As Peridot trekked up the stairs to her apartment, she mulled over seeing the tears glistening in Pearl’s eyes.


End file.
